WARREN, Mich. – Police have identified the man suspected of firing shots during a confrontation outside a school in Warren after a member of his group was suspended earlier in the day for a separate fight.
The shooting happened around 2:40 p.m. Monday, June 5, at Michigan Collegiate High School on Ryan Road, between 13 Mile and Chicago roads.
Officials said Jordan Barry Thomas, 22, of Detroit, and several others showed up to the parking lot with a student who had been suspended from the school earlier in the day because of a fight.
The group was looking to “settle some scores,” and there was a confrontation with another group of people in front of the school, near the buses, according to authorities.
During the altercation, Thomas pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots into the air, police said. He fled before officers arrived.
“Looking at the video and the information we gathered, it sounds like it was a planned after-school fight,” Warren police Capt. Charles Rushton said.
It was dismissal time at the school, so there were dozens of students outside waiting for buses when the shots were fired. Nobody was injured.
Warren police arrested Thomas around 4 p.m. Thursday while he was at work in Farmington. A handgun was found, and officials believe it was the one used in the shooting.
Thomas was arraigned Friday on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, misdemeanor possessing a weapon, misdemeanor reckless use of a firearm, and a felony firearm violation. He was given a $500,000 bond, cash/surety and isn’t allowed to have contact with the school or any victims, if released.
“I am grateful to the judge for setting an appropriate bond that reflects the seriousness of this incident,” Warren police Commissioner Bill Dwyer said. “It is important to stress how lucky we were that no one was injured.”
A probable cause conference is scheduled for June 20, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for June 27, both at 37th District Court.